Car-coupling.



w. T. WALLACE. CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 9, I915.

, Patented Feb. 15,1916.

UNITED STATES rnrrnivr Prion.

' WIL'LIAMT. WALLACE, o'r BoY'nEs, ALABAMA.

chit-COUPLING.

Applicationfiled I 1113 9, 1915 Serial No. 39,510.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM T. "WALLACE, a citizen of the United States-ofAmerica, residing at Boyle s, in'thecounty of Jefierson and State -of=Alabama',-- have invented certain newrand useful Impr0vements in Car-Couplings of which the following is a specification.

-My invention relates toimprovements in car couplers of the Janney type wherein a pivoted knuckle is provided with a tail-wing adapted to swing into-and to be locked in arecess in the draw-head.

The object of my invention is to provide the'knuckle with a movable pivotby means of which it will shift when, it assumes coupled position and move its tail-'wing-into engagement .with fixed locking shoulders in the draw-heachand with this end in view theknuckle is pivotedin the draw-headby a vertically-movable shouldered pin which works in slots in the draw-head. elongated axially thereof so that when the pin shoulders aredisengaged from the "slotsfcthe knuckle isleft free to movebodily. v

.;A further featuregof .my inventionrelates to the novel; meansfor; unlocking and openingthe knuckle and consists inlever mechanism so connected to an operating-element that its initial pull will set the pin--topermi-t the-outward or unlocking movementof the knuckle and the secondary movement,

will first force the lmuckleoutwardly' until its tail-wing clears the lockingvshoulders and will then bear: against the. tail-wing so as toswing the :knuckle into openposi-tion. My invention further consists in novel means for setting the knuckle pin-for. uncoupling; the manner ofdesigning the locking pin and the knuckle engaging shoulders in the draw-head to relieve -the knuckle pin as much as possible of the buffing and pull ing strains; and in' the other novel de'tails ofconstruction and arrangement 4 of parts which-in their preferred embodiment only are hereinafter more particularly described, reference being g'had to-the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and2 are cross's'ectional views taken on the line ww of Fig. 3, and "show ing the knuckle in its'locked and. unlocked position. Fig. 3 is a sectional. View taken on the line? y of Fig. 1, showingthe knuckle in elevation and in'raisedgposition. Fig. 4 is a similar view taken;on -the-line 2-zof Fig. 2, showing the knuckle pin Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 15,1916.

in lowered or seated position. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the draw-head with the knuckle removed. Fig.6 is a detail of the lower end of theknuckle pinjshown in sec tion. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the knuckle pin.

7 Similar reference numerals-refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The draw-head l is provided on one side with aw 2 andon the opposite side with spacedlugs-orears 3 havingaliningknuckle pin slots dthat are elongated from front torearof the draw-l1ead. The draw-head is=providedwith an internal recess 5 having a back wall 6 curved fromits front face inwardly and rea-rwardly to a lock pocket 7.

hereeach ear 3 joinsgthe head the latter) isaprovided with a raised curved shoulder. 8 terminating-near'thecenter line ofthe ear in a latera-lly facing, locking shoulder 9. The lower shoulder 9 is raised above the lower ear and the upper shoulder Qdepends below-' -the underface of theoupper ear.

E liehead is additionally provided with a recess 10 which opens at its front end-into the-recess 6 in the he'ad and is adapted to receive asliding actuator 11 fonmoving the knuckle te -unlock and open it. The knuckle #12 isprovided with a tail-wing 13 of.reduced thickness which is adapted to swing-into the-recess 6 and to have its rear end received in the lock pocket 7. The knuckle isv pivotally -mounted between the ears 3 by meansof avertical-pin ll, which pin fitstherein with a snug sliding fit near the junction of the knuckle and its tail-wing and passes through the slots 4 in the ears 3. This pin isprovided at its upper end with anintegral shoulder 15, which in cross section isadapted'to fill out the slot l. when seated therein. On the lower end of thepin I provide a similar shoulder 15 but this lower shoulder is mounted upon a sleeve 16 whichisfittedoverthe reduced tapered end 17 of the pin and-is keyed thereto by the cotter pin 18.

On both the'top' and bottom face of the tail-wing I provide a raised shoulder 19 which surrounds thepin 14 except on the sidethereof facing the jaw 2 where the shoulders are-interrupted to furnish the vertical inwardlyfacing locking shoulders 20 to the rear of the pin 14:. The shoulder 19 on the bottom faceof the knuckle is addiwill receive and permit the knuckle to swing about the lower shoulder 15 on the pinin the manner that will be observed by comparison of Figs. 1 and 2, which. it will be noted, show the bottom face of the knuckle. The curve of the wall 6 is such as to permit the tail-wing 13 to clear it in swinging about the pinwhen in the position shown in Fig. 1. The knuckle on its top and bottom is provided with a rearwardly facing curved shoulder 22 which is adapted to engage and bear against the rounded. outer ends of the ears 3 so as to take the builing strain oil of the pin. The inwardly facing shoulders 20 on. the top and bottom side of the tail-wing are adapted to abut against the outwardly facing lock shoulders 9 at the top and bottom of the draw-head when the knuckle is shifted rearwardly into locked position and this in terlock will materially supplement the locking strength derived from. the engagement of the tail-wing 13 in the lock pocket 7.

This rearward motion of the knuckle is pro vided for by the rearward movement of the pin 1 R1611 in raised position, in the slots a until the pin engages the rear walls thereof in which position the shoulders 15 are free to drop with the pin into and fill out the slots l, thus locking the knuckle in its rearward position, as will be seen in Fig. 2. The recess 21 in the underface of the knuckle shoulder 19 permitsthe pin 14 to be raised thereinto until its shoulders 15 clear the slots 4, whereupon the knuckle is free to swing about the pin;

The operating mechanism for the actuator 11 and the knuckle pin 14 comprises any suitable member 23 which is adapted to be raised and lowered from the side of the car. To this member is pivoted at its center a link 24: having a link 25 suspended from its forward end and connected to a pin 26. This pin 26 extends through an arcuate slot 27 in the flattened head 28 of the pin 1% and through an angled lock set member 29 which is pivoted at its upper forward end to the side of head28 by a pivot pin 30 and which has its depending rear end 31 offset so as to fitagainst the side of the pin 14. The upper slot 4 is cut out on one side to permit this lock set to enter it as shown in Fig. 4:. lVhen the pin 14: is pulled up-- wardly the initial pull of pin 26 is on this lock set, the pin-27 being free to move to a limited extent in slot 27. This initial movement swings the lock set backwardly so that, when raised above the slot l, it will engage and rest ona shoulder 32 at the rear end of the slot 4. A suitable reinforcing guard flange 33 surrounds the head of the pin on three sides, and is cut away at 34 to receive the lock set. The rear end of the link 2 1 is connected by a chain 35 to a pin 36in the forward end. of a bell crank lever 37. This lever is pivoted between raised guard lugs 38 on top of the draw-head and has its lower pocket d0 in the actuator 11 and the upward pull exerted on the lever will act to throw the actuator forwardly. Tt-will be noted that the actuator is so disposed relatively to the axis of the knuckle that the initial pressure exerted by it against the tail-wing will act to move the knuckle bodily forwardly when the pin 14; has been lifted to permit this movement and it will be noted that this lifting of thepin will take place automatically in advance of any movement of the actuator. After the actuator has moved the knuckle to its outer position so that its tail-wing ,clearsthe lock pocket 7 and its shoulders 20 clear the lock shoulders 9, c0ntinued pressure against the curved face of the tail-wing serves to swing the knuckle about its axis and force it into uncoupled position,

In operation, assuming the knuckle open and the aarts in the )osition shown in Fi s,

1 and 3, the incoming head will swing the knuckle into coupling position and will then force it rearwardly into locked posi-f tion when the pin shoulders 15 will dropinto the slots 4 and hold the knuckle against movement from this position; To uncouple,

the pin is raised by the lifting power applied to the member 23 and after completing the raising of the pin, the bell cranklever 37- is actuated and through the actuator 11 w will unlock and open the knuckle. To set the knuckle for unlocking it is only neces sary to lift it suflicientlyto permit its lock set 31 to rest on the shoulder 32' on the draw-head.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

Lin a car coupler, a draw-head ihavingv elongated knuckle pin slots, a knuckle pin vertically movable insaid slots and having reduced portions which when oppositethe walls of the slots permit'the pin to move horizontally therein, a knuckle pivoted by said pinto the draw-head and having-ea tailwing adapted to swing into the draw headf" a lock shoulderwhich said tail-wingyis adapted to engage when the knuckle is shifted-bodily toward the draw-head,and a combination pin lifting the knuckle shifting and opening mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In a car coupler, a draw-head having at one side lugs provided with elongated pin holes and having an integral recess, shoulders in the top and bottom of said recess facing to the near side of the draw-head, a

knuckle mounted between the ears and having a vertical pin hole, a locking pivot pin for the knuckle which is mounted in said ear slots and is shouldered to fill said slots in;30

one position. and to have clearanceinsaid recess, and having shoulders which in its locked position engage said shoulderson the draw-head and take the draft strain oil the tail-wing, substantially as described.

3. A recessed draw-head having pin holes elongated from front to rear, a knuckle mounted to swing in the draw-head, a plvot pin for the knuckle verticallymovable therein and provided with top and bottom shoulders adapted to be moved into and out of said elongated slots, said knuckle having shoulders adapted to bear against the drawhead to relieve said pin of buffing strains, and said head and knuckle having top and bottom internal shoulders disposed radially to the knuckles axis and adapted to engage and interlock when the knuckle is shifted rearwardly in said draw-head, and mechanism for unlocking and swinging the knuckle outwardly, substantially as described.

4. In a carcoupler, a draw-head having an internal recess, a knuckle seated in the Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

recessand having a vertically movable pivot pm, top and bottom shoulders on the pin,

and'a recess in the knuckle to receive and swing about one of the pin shoulders, slots in the draw-head elongated from front to rear and adapted to receive the pin and its shoulders, an actuator seated in the head, a slideway for said actuator in which it is movable from rear to front of the head to engage the rear face of the knuckle, a bell crank lever pivoted on the draw-head which is slotted to permit the lower end of the lever to engage and move said actuator, a flexible operating means connected to the upper ends of said pin and lever and adapted to exert its pull first on the pin to move the shoulder thereof out of said elongated slots, and then on the actuator to shift and swing'the knuc-v kle, and a shoulder in the head with which 7 a portion of said knuckle interlocks when shifted with its pivot pin bod1ly to the rear in coupling.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature,

ILLIAM T. WALLACE.

Witness: 7 V

' NoMIn WELSH. 7

Washington, I). 0. 

